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Friday, June 3, 2011

Drive-Thru Killers...

Lately I have been posting pics of different dishes I have done and not posting recipes...if the influx of Email is an indication, I think this might not be the best thing to do. I have to Thank you all for being so sweet with your little email requests..like this one: "That pic is making me drool, WHERE IS THE RECIPE"????? lol... Your Facebook posts are even funnier sometimes.... "WOW...are we getting the recipe, I have to make this Today???"
I have to admit, sometimes I think that what I make isn't recipe/publish worthy...or "Why would anyone want My recipe for baked chicken?" Then again, I am always very much humbled by the requests I get for recipes.
I have come to understand, that it isn't that it is My recipe, but it might be something very different than what someone else makes...simple as that.
So in the interest of cleaning things up..Here are a few of the photos I published, without recipes and their perspective recipe. Thank You again, for being interested! I love your company in my Kitchen! Come back Anytime!

Garlic Chicken

Ingredients: 4-6 Chicken Thighs 1/2 stick Butter 7 cloves Garlic 4-5 Tbsp Complete Seasoning Salt & PepperThis has to be the easiest and tatiest chicken you will ever make. I use Chicken thighs to bake chicken. The reasons for this are 1.) On the bone chicken is always juicier and 2.) Dark meat is always more tender and easier to cook than white meat. If you choose white meat, I would suggest keeping it on the bone until you serve. Nobody needs to know you cooked it on the bone. Just take it off the bone before putting it on the serving platter. (just be sure to let it rest 5 minutes first).Anyway....the recipe:This first part should be done before hand. Can be a day before or night before or morning before. :)I first take 7 cloves of garlic and "warm" them in a 1/4 cup olive oil on the stove-top over Medium LOW heat. This process is a slow one..but sooo worth it.Once the garlic is soft, spoon it into a small dish and add 1/2 stick of room temp butter. Combine the garlic and butter. Mash the garlic into the butter. Then refrigerate until firm again. (Oh, by the way save the olive oil in a bottle. It's wonderful over pasta, bruschetta, warm from the oven rolls, and fantastic to saute shrimp in with a lil red pepper...thats another story Wow!)When you're ready to go to the chicken, Preheat your oven to 400-425.Remove your chicken thighs from their package. Dry them with a paper towel.
Loosen the skin over the meat of the thigh, with your fingers.
Spread the "garlic butter" under the skin.
(I use my fingers here too, but I use all of my butter, if you wont be using it all for your chicken, portion out what you'll need for the chicken and set the rest aside. Careful not to cross contaminate your butter..Yuck (raw chicken fingers in butter used for something else...ewww) ). Be safe :)
Wrap the skin tightly over the whole thigh. (my butcher sometimes leave an exorbitant amount of skin on my chicken, but in this case it's a good thing. I want the skin..It gets sooo crispy! Yum).
So now your chicken is tightly wrapped with the skin. Salt and Pepper Liberally. Sprinkle liberally with "Complete Seasoning". This is my go-to spice conglomerate of choice. If you like Mrs Dash, go for it. It's great here! If you like Lemon Pepper..really good too. I use Complete Seasoning because of the range of spice and cost. Mrs Dash is kinda expensive in the quantities I use it. :) Think I should start blending my own actually. Geez..thats even another story....Anyway back to the Chicken, Place the thighs in a 9x13 baking dish. Place in your 400-425 oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes lower oven to 375. Bake Chicken for additional 40 minutes or until crispy and when poked juices run clear. It is sooo good, you'll like it better than fried chicken. No more Colonel you know who for You!

What else did I make? Oh !! I made Homemade Big Macs!! Yummyyy... Did you see it???

This is a Drive-Thru killer If I ever saw one! Sometimes I get a hankering for a Fast Food Burger, but once I acquiesce I regret it with indigestion and well...I'll leave the rest to your imagination. So i really had to know what I liked and how to make it myself, because the alternative just wasn't worth the unpleasantries...
This burger is simply a double cheeseburger divided by a burger bun bottom (or top squeezed down), with all the fixins of a Mc' Drive-Thru burger.
Lettuce, diced onions, dill pickle slices and "Special Sauce". I have heard others say that they just substitute a "thousand island dressing" for the "special sauce", but I just wasn't satisfied that it did it for me. I had to delve deeper.
I think I have nailed it! I'd love it if you tried it and let me know :)Burger Special Sauce
1 cup Mayo
1/2 cup Sweet or Dill Pickle Relish (strained)
1/4 cup Ketchup
3 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Apple cider Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Combine all ingredients, except salt and pepper. Taste. If it needs a little more tang add lemon. If you use Dill pickle relish, check to see if it needs salt..probably not. If you used sweet pickle relish, will need salt and good amount of pepper. Refrigerate sauce for 1 hour prior to using. (This thickens it a bit) If you'd like you can use diced pickles instead of the relish, this reduces the liquid. Again just be wary of the salt content of your pickles.Assembly:
On the bottom bun place 2 tbsp sauce
Top with 1 Cheeseburger
Top with small diced onions
Top with middle bun choice
Top that with 2nd burger
Top burger with onion, dill pickle slices and lettuce.
Place 2 tbsp Sauce on top of bun.
"Squish" together and ENJOY!!!!

Hope I have inspired you to stay away from the Drive-thru even more that I usually do. Beating the big guys at their own game is definitely a Win-Win for all of us!
Thanks for stopping by :)